As many of you know, our very own TARAsiaFan has an extremely popular blog called Fang's Bites. Among all the other interesting bits, he does excellent recaps for both TAR and TARA. Michael McKay (TARA Executive Producer) both reads and enjoys these himself. TARAsiaFan has just done a fabulous TARA interview with McKay that can be read there as well.

For TARA 3, TARAsiaFan will be posting those recaps here as well for our reading pleasure.

If you would like to take a peek at TARA 2 's recaps, here they are: (comments from TARAsiaFan)

Here's a sneak preview of what I have written thus far. I'm still halfway through the recap, but here's an idea of where I'm headed. This is just to whet your appetite:

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Meanwhile, the other teams are still eating the bugs, frogs and scorpions and it's here where some of the racers' gag reflexes kick in. We then see a sequence of vomiting into buckets. It's a really nice sight and you get a nice example right here. What? You didn't think I would leave it out, did you?

And wouldn't you know it? Natalie & Pailin are the 2nd team to leave the eating challenge quickly followed by boyfriend/girlfriend Geoff & Tisha. The only real highlight we get to see of Geoff in this episode is his hurling on the sidewalk after the challenge. I'll spare you that sight.

They were followed by Mai & Oliver, AD & Fuzzie and Ida & Tania so again, we have some really strong female teams on this race.

Well, I would not include Mai in that group and we'll see why at the end. We don't want to jump ahead too far. We still have a lot to go in this recap. But we see where Mai who has said her parents have brought up like a princess shows her prima donna side by making Oliver carry her huge backpack. He's got to carry his own and then carry hers as well??

What have we learned after 12 seasons of the US TAR and 2 seasons of TARA? That it's always best to pack light. Don't carry these bulky backpacks that have all of your essentials inside. We've seen teams having to get rid of stuff along the way and Mai's backpack looks like it has her entire life and he has to run with two backpacks? That never works. And Oliver even tells Mai and he can't do it, but she doesn't care saying the next destination will be easy. Right. And I can carry two one ton boulders on my shoulders. Who is she kidding?

I still have a long way to go in this recap. I'm probably halfway done. I lost time when I had to work on Sunday. Anyway, here's a preview:

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Next to leave is the Asian version of Team Who (Dave & Jeff from TAR4), William & Isaac. Rarely will I use a reference from the Television Without Pity boards, but this one is totally appropriate. The name Team Who stuck for Dave & Jeff because they were both devoid of personality. After watching that season in reruns on GSN, I totally saw the point because not only were they boring, but they showed nothing and eventually became the second team not to make the finish line (following Team Guido in the original TAR). So coming back to this season, William & Isaac have basically spoken in one monotone voice, have not shown any emotion, have not smiled or frowned and have no personality, thus the Asian Team Who moniker. And they talk about being happy not to have been the first one out. Again, prophetic.

Asian Team Who is followed by Vince & Sam, AD & Fuzzie, then Niroo & Kapil. The Indian father-son team are the last to leave at 1:29 a.m., almost three hours after Mai & Oliver, but thanks to the Hours of Operation at Flight of the Gibbon, everyone will be bunched.

The eight teams other than Mai & Oliver who are sound asleep take taxis or songtels to Mae Kampong and start taking numbers. Vince & Sam arrive first and will get on the zipline first. AD & Fuzzie are next followed by Ida & Tania, then Niroo & Kapil and Henry & Bernie. While in their cab, Natalie tells Pailin since Flight of the Gibbon doesn't open until 7:30, they can take it easy, but Pailin who seems to be a fan of the race knows that you have to get a number.

Mai & Oliver have finally hit the road thinking that they'll be first in line, but they will have a rude awakening when they get to the Hours of Operation.

Geoff & Tisha and William & Isaac will take the zipline 6th and 7th respectively. Then Pailin is proven right as she picks the 8th spot and you would think that Natalie would have learned a lesson, but as we'll see, she does not.

Finally, here come Oliver and Princess, skipping into Mae Kampong, thinking that they're in first, only to realize that they've not only lost their lead, but they're to go on the zipline dead last. They've learned a valuable lesson about the race. Never assume anything.

Thanks Ken I still have not watched the middle of the show, I saw the beginning and end so I'll wait to read the recap rather than watching it.My fav part during the paintball .."run, like Jamie Sommers!" , lmao

I think I might be able to finish this tonight. But then, I have two recaps to do this weekend.

Here's another preview for you.

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At Chiang Mai Airport, teams start arriving in rapid fire fashion. Mai is finally informed by Isaac that they're going to Vietnam, not China and it hits Oliver that the little Princess was thinking about Mao Zedong (maybe Isaac told him). It's a nice bit of comic relief.

Meanwhile, we get a little bit of airport drama which I hate transcribing, especially when it goes overboard like in the last season of The Amazing Race. Since this airport drama is important to the next part of this episode, I'll recap it for you.

Henry is able to find a flight heading into HCMC through Siem Reap, Cambodia. He & Bernie are the first to book this flight followed by Geoff & Tisha and AD & Fuzzie. Fuzzie informs Henry that they chose the right flight because today's flight going to HCMC through Bangkok is full.

BQII tries to find a flight through Bangkok as do Mai & Oliver and Asian Team Who. They discover that the next available flight to Ho Chi Minh City is not until 9 a.m., the following day which will put them way behind the six other teams. Mai says there doesn't seem to any other way? Did she bother to check? Why were three other teams able to find alternate routes?

Then the final two teams to reach Chiang Mai Airport, Niroo & Kapil and Vince & Sam are also able to get on the flight to Siem Reap so what gives here? Are the others so vapid that they aren't able to look for another flight? By the time BQII, Asian Team Who and Oliver & the Princess arrive in HCMC, they'll be racing for two spots in the next leg and one of them will be eliminated.

So these three teams are on their way to Bangkok where they will stay overnight until the following morning. To be honest, this is some bad travel planning by these three teams. We'll see if it comes back to bite them in the next leg or if there's a massive bunching saving them.

Once in Bangkok, Mai & Oliver and Asian Team Who look for cheap accommodations to stay overnight. Pailin decides that since they can't afford a hotel, BQII will sleep at the airport. This devastates Natalie and she proclaims this as "the worst thing that could happen to us on the race." Are you kidding me?? The worst thing that could happen to you on the race is to get eliminated! Sleeping at the airport is nothing and believe it or not, it's actually one of the safest places you could be! But no, Natalie has a meltdown. She starts to whine, cry, bitch, moan and begins to think that she could get killed in the airport. Please. Pailin is the one thinking rationally since she knows they don't have a lot of money. If they had to, I guess they could have doubled up with one of the other teams, but Pailin chose not to. Natalie, being Miss Universe, decides if she doesn't have First Class accommodations, she's going to shut down. And I was thinking in the first episode that she was going to the stronger of BQII, instead, she's whining like a baby.

I actually like geoff& Tisha in the way that they are entertaining. I mean, walking around blowing a whistle and thinking that would actually help getting people to help you. Please.

I don't think the beauty queens behaviour is ouf of bad will, they just never backpacked before and it's their job to look pretty, so I can understand why she'd say that being filthy is the worst form of being. Obviously cocky, but understandable from her point of view.

Episode 2 also made clear why it's the "hardest race" ever. Not because its legs are long, but because the producers put pointless challenges in, the only aim being to hurt the candidates, i.e. the paintball challenge. They could've at least supplied the racers with paintguns themselves so that they'd could fight back and make that a challenge (Contestants must shoot at least 1 enemy before receiving their clue).

It somehow sounded a bit strange to me that many teams were complaining about lack of sleep and the leg going on for so long. It was only going so long because they either spent the night at the airport or spent the night waiting for the flowershop to open. Waiting for such things is common and has basically happened in just about every season (otherwise known as bunching). While I agree that sleeping in the airport might not do for refreshment as much as sleeping in a hotel, I have a hard time determining from the episode where the "30 hours without sleep" come from. Not saying it's a walk in the park, but I'm fairly sure with tighter editing they easily could've squeezed the leg in the usual 45mins (but then, they needed to show all teams playing a mobile phone game for a prolonged period of time for obvious reasons, so maybe not).

I'm loving the more difficult itinerary this time--hope TAR 13 is paying attention! I get tired of airports and love it when they have to take a train/bus/ferry..or better yet the "make your way to" clues and let them figure it out!

Logged

RFF's Golden Rule:Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

What's great is that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Last year, I killed Mutt & Revolting and got a lot of hate mail, which I actually enjoyed.

I would not call the paintball task pointless. But I do think the producers are trying to knock the competitors down a peg. I'm totally enjoying this season to date. By the second leg last season, I was tired of M&R's act.

I do think Natalie really thought it was a NEL, because somewhere she said taking the penalty would give them an extra 4 hours of sleep.....

Peach, I agree that Natalie was betting on a NEL for that leg. However, if she studied her Amazing Race Asia and Amazing Race history(which I doubt that she did prior to the race), she would have known that the leg following NELs typically has several short tasks but no opportunity for bunching. That means that taking the penalty makes most sense is if it is exercised long before other teams were finished (like Rob in AR7 in Mendoza with the meat) so that there is a possibility of being ahead of at least one other team. If not, then there is little hope that the time gap from the penalty can be overcome.

I think what you are seeing at the moment (the eliminations) proves how tough this race really is at this point, harder perhaps than comes out on air. It is a real test of character among other things.